The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled 5-4 to legalize gay marriage. Tennessee is one of the states that had not legalized same-sex marriages.
The Hamilton County Clerk's Office on Friday afternoon issued its first license to a gay couple after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to legalize gay marriage.
The license was issued to Rhiannan Pierce and Phyllis Wood.
County Clerk Bill Knowles said there were four applications from gay couples on the first day they could legally apply.
Mr. Knowles also said, "We also had one couple come into the vehicle title and registration office requesting to add each other to the title. They presented their marriage certificate issued by the Washington, D.C., government. We complied."
His office began accepting gay marriage couples after the office received a letter from the state saying, "We have been advised by the Tennessee Attorney General that county clerks may begin issuing marriage licenses immediately under the U. S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell. The Attorney General will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. CT at which time this will be formally announced, but county clerks do not need to wait for the press conference to begin issuing marriage licenses."
Mr. Knowles said, "A public official in many instances may hold a different view regarding laws and court actions. Ours is an administrative office, and legal sources advise we don’t have the ability to choose which duties to perform.”
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III said, “Today’s United States Supreme Court decision not only changes the definition of marriage, but takes from the states and their citizens the longstanding authority to vote and decide what marriage means. To the Tennessee citizen who asks ‘Don’t we get a chance to vote on this in some way?’ the answer from the Supreme Court is a resounding, ‘No, you do not.’ For the Court to tell all Tennesseans that they have no voice, no right to vote, on these issues is disappointing. The Court, nevertheless, has spoken and we respect its decision. Our office is prepared to work with the Governor and the General Assembly, as needed, to take the necessary steps to implement the decision.”
Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes said, “Tennesseans overwhelmingly voted to define marriage as between one man and one woman. If a change was to be made, it should have been allowed to play out through the democratic process but, unfortunately, today’s judicial activism short-circuits that ability. While this has long been pushed by the Democrats' agenda, the issue is far from settled."
Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancini said, “With today’s decision we see that love and respect has triumphed and we rejoice knowing that every person has the right to marry the person they love. Today is a day that Democrats celebrate with those couples as they build strong families while securing a future for themselves, in Tennessee and across our nation.”
Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris said, "I want to congratulate all of the couples in Tennessee who have waited so long for this day, when their state can recognize the love they share," state Sen. Lee Harris said. "I want to congratulate all the people who can now look forward to a wedding day right here in their home state, and I want to congratulate the plaintiffs from Tennessee who worked so hard for this historic day.
"Many of us have been fighting this battle against discrimination for a long time and put in so much effort. I still have the battle scars from our fight with the City of Memphis to expand anti-discrimination protections to the LGBT community. It has been a long, difficult road to get here. And now we can celebrate.
"The larger context of the Court's recent opinions is even more astonishing. In recent opinions, the Supreme Court has given states authority to banish divisive symbols, preserve the Affordable Healthcare Act and, now, support for marriage equality. It's enough to make progressives, like me, dizzy with glee. It's a new era for civil rights."
Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Jeff Yarbro said, "Today's historic ruling is another step in our country's long march toward equality for all Americans," state Sen. Jeff Yarbro said. "I congratulate not only those who have fought so hard for justice, but also all couples whose loving relationships will now be afforded the legal respect they deserve."
Grant Starrett, candidate for District 4 Congress, said, "If we desire to live in a constitutional republic, we ought to start recognizing its boundaries. The Constitution has power because the sovereign American people affirmed a particular interpretation at the time that its language was passed. I challenge the notion that any drafter of the 14th Amendment, much less the Framers of the Constitution, possibly imagined, in their wildest dreams, that what they were writing would require that every state give marriage licenses to same sex couples. Unfortunately, five unelected lawyers have overridden the will of the 80 percent of Tennessee voters who approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing traditional marriage. I fear the vast implications of activist judges, unmoored from the original meaning of our Constitution, imposing their agenda through reinterpretations of our founding documents."
Pastor Dale Walker, president of the Tennessee Pastors Network, said the ruling puts churches and pastors in a difficult position.
“This landmark decision had deep biblical, historical and constitutional roots, and unfortunately, our justices chose to redefine marriage for the entire nation, ignoring other constitutional rights and opening the door to a dangerous infringement on religious liberties,” Pastor Walker said. “The fact that this issue even made it to the Supreme Court of the United States was an indictment against American Christians and against American churches. Even though some churches have sought to blend into the culture rather than change it, this ruling serves as a wake-up call for pastors and churches who are committed to being the salt and light of our society and standing up for truth.
“This is just the beginning, and as the culture continues to change—and move even further away from the truth of God’s Word and from our constitutional roots—it is crucial that pastors and churches know the truth, speak the truth and live the truth, doing all they can to preserve God’s Word and protect the religious liberties of Christians across the nation.”
David Fowler, the president of The Family Action Council of Tennessee, said, "Today a handful of Americans on the Court have stripped the people of the freedom to democratically address the meaning and role of society’s most fundamental institution, marriage. The majority have arrogantly said they are not only smarter than the 50 million Americans who have voted to affirm marriage as the union of a man and a woman, but also millions of human beings over thousands of years across the entire globe.
"As with Roe v. Wade in 1973, the Court has taken sides on a domestic policy not addressed in our Constitution and told believers in natural marriage that their voice is not allowed. But when people begin to experience the effects of this ruling in ways they never envisioned, the Court may find that it has only awakened a slumbering giant."
Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, said, “We applaud the governor and the attorney general for ensuring that government offices in Tennessee implement the Supreme Court’s ruling swiftly. Committed, same-sex couples in Tennessee have waited long enough to enjoy the dignity and protections of marriage. Today’s ruling and its prompt implementation will bring great joy to the thousands of Tennessee families who just want to be treated with the same respect and dignity as everyone else.”
Charles Wysong, president of American Rights Coalition, sad, "This decision, that has now redefined the country's legal definition of marriage, is one more attempt to afford legal protection to thise who want to disobey God's laws."
"The Supreme Court in recent years has found in favor of adultery, abortion, blasphemy, sodomy and now same sex marriages. All of which are sin and forbidden by God."
"Proverbs instructs us, 'When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn,' we are about to have this come upon us."